Le Havre

Le Havre is a city in the Normandy region of northwestern France, located on the right bank of the estuary of the Seine on the English Channel. The city and port were founded by King Francis I of France in 1517, and economic development in the early modern period was hampered by religious wars, conflicts with England, epidemics, and storms. It was from the end of the 18th century that the city started growing, and it first took off with the slave trade before taking off with international trade. The city was largely destroyed by Allied bombing during World War II; its German garrison held out against an Allied siege from 10 to 12 September 1944. After the war, the city was rebuilt in concrete, and it declined as the golden age of ocean liners came to an end during the 1970s. The population declined, and unemployment remained high into the 21st century. In 2010, Le Havre had a population of 175,497 people.